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Monday, 27 April 2009

Philip Hunt "Lost and Found" (2008)

In 1982 the new British television Channel 4 released an animated version of Raymond Briggs’The Snowman, featured on the blog over Christmas. The same channel broadcast another sure fire classic this year on Christmas Eve. Directed by Philip Hunt and the team at Studio Aka, Lost and Found is in the finest tradition of children’s animation, that is, it is not just for children. The story is not entirely remote from that of Briggs, as a boy discovers a penguin on his doorstep and resolves to row him back to Antarctica, surviving a giant squid and a vividly depicted storm but meeting some of the most wonderful penguins one can imagine. And, as with its predecessor, the relationship fostered between child and penguin will bring a lump to the throat just as the melted snowman did all those years ago - and every Christmas since! The look is pure, soft watercolour, though the 3D work is of course CGI. Such is the cross-over now between methods of animating, that Philip's movie has that stop motion appeal. I like always to post on work that is freely available on the web. Sadly this is not the case here but one twenty-fifth is available via the studio’s trailer. The support for the movie is magnificent, the studio enlisting top people including memorably expressive music by Max Richter and a beautifully delivered narration from Jim Broadbent, one of the very best actors from these shores with a quite marvellous voice. Based on the book by Oliver Jeffers, a family favourite in my household, like a fool I failed to record it at the time but have just redressed the situation by purchasing the newly released DVD from Amazon for £6. It is available worldwide. Philip is creative director at Studio Aka and, coincidentally, my friends at Short of the Week reviewed Jo Jo in the Stars last week. I was moved to comment on the work of its director, Marc Craste, another of the studio's stars and ventured the opinion that I wish he would create a feature film, quite forgetting his Bafta nominated Varmints to be featured here in trailer form shortly. I have affixed the tag "Classic" to the movie because I am being prophetic. Philip is a graduate of London's outstanding Royal College of Art.

Great movie and thanks for the comments. The DVD arrived this morning and I watched it with the family. The movie is even better than I had remembered. What took my eye this time, apart from the technical excellence - lots of this - was the humour, the way the boy so conspicuously ignores the penguin despite the hard work put in on his/her expense. I should also have emphasised the storm more. Great storm.

Saw this at the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival ~ just yesterday. I had come - late - and missed the one I was hoping to see (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QxeSfn1ME4) but was so moved by this short. Although, this was a short that really moved me. I was surprised at how many emotions I went through. And at awe with the quality of art. Well Done, team.